Slovakia taken to court over training given
to lorry drivers

The European Commission decided to refer Slovakia to the Court of
Justice for failing to comply with European legislation on the minimum level of
training given to drivers of HGVs over 7.5 tonnes and to coach drivers. This
legislation helps to improve road safety by providing drivers with advanced
training, building on that required for their basic diving licence. It also
enhances the operation of the internal market in road transport by ensuring
drivers have a uniform level of training.

The main aim of the Directive in
question[1] is to improve the
level of lorry drivers’ driving skills.

Most professional drivers only hold the usual driving licence. The Directive
specifies which drivers are targeted by this training, namely drivers of
vehicles over 7.5 tonnes and of public passenger transport vehicles. The purpose
of the training is to build on the basic training followed to obtain a driving
licence and give professional drivers the skills they need to do their job.

The training will cover:

technical knowledge of the design and main features of these vehicles;

general knowledge of transport and of administrative procedures;

skills for driving goods or passenger transport
vehicles.

Slovakia has not notified the Commission of the measures
taken to transpose this Directive into national law in line with the Community
transport acquis.

[1] Council Directive
76/914/EEC of 16 December 1976 on the minimum level of training for some
road transport drivers (OJ L 357, 29.12.1976, p. 36).